The Use of Symbols in the book of Revelation

Just because I believe that the book of Revelation
should be interpreted literally, it does not mean that many symbols are not
used. A literal view takes words as they are, unless there is something in the
text indicating that it should be taken some way other than literally. And there
is symbolic language in this book. The existence of these symbols has let to two
extremes. One extreme states that these symbols show that this book cannot be
understood and must simply be interpreted in terms of a general conflict between
good and evil, the good winning out in the end. Beyond this, they say the book
is not to be understood in any great detail. Thus, this view has opened the book
up to a wide range of criticism and attacks from the enemies of the faithful.

The second extreme states that the symbols are used for
unchecked speculation, sensationalism and all kinds of guesswork in trying to
interpret them in terms of current events. Such speculation has resulted in
far-fetched interpretations, and changes are made as current events unfold. This
view has also led to the setting of dates. In this area, the book of
Revelation has suffered at the hands of its friends.

But there is a balance between these two extremes. While
the Bible does use many symbols, it is consistent in its usage of those symbols.
A specific symbol will mean the same thing throughout the TaNaKh and the B'rit
Chadashah in the vast majority of cases. For example, Revelation has
no direct quotes from the TaNaKh, but it has about 550 references to it.
Only the last two chapters of Revelation regarding the Eternal State have
information that is entirely new.

For this study, the symbols will be examined in accordance
with the Golden Rule of Interpretation. While recognizing the existence
of the symbols, there will be no resorting to guesswork. Rather, we will study Revelation on the premise that all the symbols in it
are explained elsewhere, either in a different part of Revelation itself, or
somewhere else in the Bible. In other words, we will let Scripture
interpret Scripture. Their meanings will not be determined by speculation.5